Environmental Geochemistry - Lyons Group
The Environmental Geochemistry research group is led by Dr. W. Berry Lyons, Director of the School of Earth Sciences and former Directory of the Byrd Polar Research Center.
The Environmental Geochemistry group at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center conducts research in several areas including long-term ecological studies in Antarctica, using geochemical tracers in hydrological studies in Panama, chemical and physical weathering in alpine areas particularly high standing oceanic islands, and the impact of agricultural activities and urbanization on surface waters. Learn more details about our research on Berry's Bio page.
Lyons Group Members:
FacultyResearch StaffGraduate StudentsUndergraduate StudentsFormer Group Members
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Director, School of Earth Sciences E-mail: lyons.142@osu.edu Ph.D. Univeristy of Connnecticut, 1979 |
Research Staff(back to top) |
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Chris Gardner - Senior Research Associate email: gardner.177@osu.edu Ph.D. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2015 I am a Senior Research Associate in the School of Earth Sciences. I am also the Business Office Manager for the International Association of GeoChemistry (IAGC) where I oversee many aspects of the organization's daily operation. I also work closely with Berry and Dave Long (Michigan State University) on the Urban Geochemistry Working Group at the IAGC. I'm interested in tracing hydrologic flow paths through tropical watersheds in Panama using geochemical tracers such as Ge/Si to better understand hydrology in these ecosystems. My PhD work also involved quantifying micronutrients important for nitrogen fixation (i.e. Mo) across ecosystem boundaries in the tropics. I was previously the Information Manager for the MCM-LTER where I was responsible for the maintenance and design of a large relational database containing meteorological, hydrological, chemical, biological, and spatial data collected since the inception of MCM in 1993. In this position, I was the web designer and webmaster of our LTER website at www.mcmlter.org. I ensured that our LTER site was compliant with data, metadata, and web standards set by the LTER Network Office (we are one of 25 research sites in the network). I also had the opportunity collaborate on outreach activities, such as The Lost Seal children’s book. To date, I have participated in 6 field deployments to Antarctica. My Master’s degree work here at Ohio State focused on urban geochemistry and hydrology, where I examined trace metals and major ions in urban runoff from a highway in Columbus during precipitation events. |
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Sue Welch - Senior Research Associate email: welch.318@osu.edu Ph.D. Oceanography, University of Delaware, 1997 As a Research Associate at OSU I work as an analytical geochemist with expertise in analyzing water and sediment samples from the MCM LTER project. My research interests are in the field of Low Temperature Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry. My current work focuses on CO2 sequestration, and the reactivity of trace mineral phases on the geochemistry of natural waters. |
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email: diaz.237@osu.edu B.S. Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, 2014
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email: israel.84@osu.edu B.S. Biochemistry and Environmental Studies: Science Concentration, Central Michigan University, 2015
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Dan Gilbert - Undergraduate student email: gilbert.566@osu.edu
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Sydney Olund - Master's student email: olund.1@osu.edu B.S. Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014
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Alexandria (Allie) Fair- Master's student M.S. School of Earth Sciences,The Ohio State University, 2014
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Laura German- Master's student M.S. School of Earth Sciences,The Ohio State University, 2015
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PhD. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2013 My research within the Lyons group focuses on using stable isotopes as tracers of water and solute sources to study specific hydrological and geochemical problems in McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and central Ohio, USA.
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J.D. Stucker - Master's student M.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2012 My M.S. research is focused on examining the chemical contributions from urban land uses on low order stream chemistry. My research is taking place here in Columbus, Ohio and I hope to be able to consolidate stream chemistry data from my own tributary sampling with previous urban studies to elucidate the total chemical effect a large urban center can have on river chemistry. The environmental impacts of urban centers (additional trace metals, nutrients, temperature anomalies, major ions) are becoming ever more important with the global growth of population and shift from rural to urban living centers. My previous research has centered on using trace metals such as Mo in black shales to determine paleo-redox conditions of sedimentary basins in West Texas. I have also examined coal and fly ash from a series of Kentucky power plants in order to determine the legacy of changing coal supplies over the past 40 years in the state.
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Kelly Deuerling - Master's student M.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2010 My research with the Lyons group and MCM-LTER is focused on the dissolution of the aeolian mineral dust and marine aerosols deposited in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, their impact on the geochemical/hydrologic continuum, and possible transport to East Antarctica. The dissolution of the dust has an impact on the chemistry of the lakes and nutrient availability in the Dry Valleys ecosystem. Isotopic study of the dust will provide a baseline signature of the Dry Valleys that can be compared to preserved ice core dust records (i.e. EPICA Dome C and Vostok in Eastern Antarctica) to determine any contribution to Eastern Antarctica in the past. My work will contribute to the understanding of the interplay between aeolian and aquatic processes in the Dry Valleys and further the understanding of this unique ecosystem. My previous research has concerned weathering in Alaska and Dominica, as well as the geochemistry of the Grand Savanne eruptive sequence in Dominica.
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Becki Witherow - Doctoral student PhD School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2009 My thesis, titled “Mercury Concentrations in Snow and the Modern Mercury Flux to Taylor Valley, Antarctica”, examines mercury concentrations in Antarctic snow in hopes of expanding current knowledge of background mercury levels. By constructing a mercury baseline consisting of natural fluxes, anthropogenic inputs to the global mercury cycle can be better assessed. Additionally, mercury concentrations in recent snow, can give important insight to the processes governing mercury deposition in polar regions, particularly Mercury Depletion Events that occurs as the sun rises in Antarctica in the austral spring. My work on the Commonwealth Glacier in Taylor Valley will help define the natural mercury sources and variations in a remote area such as Antarctica. By quantifying background mercury levels, human impacts on the mercury cycle can be better identified. I am currently doing my Ph.D. research on the geochemical dynamics of alkali metals and alkaline earths in Taylor Valley, Antarctica.
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Kelly Foley - Master's Student M.S. Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2005 Kelly received her MS degree in August, 2005 working with Lyons. Her work here at OSU investigated the distribution and processes in the development of calcite in soils and in encrustations on undersides of rocks in the Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Similar to other desert environments, water soluble salts accumulate in Antarctic soils. She related calcite distribution and accumulation to soil age. In addition, isotope work (87Sr/86Sr, d13C) on the samples developed better information about the source of calcium and carbonate in these deposits. Her work contributed not only to the knowledge of chemical cycles and ecological make-up in the Dry Valley environment, but also to the understanding of salt accumulation in desert environments.
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Marinko Karanovic - Graduate Student M.S Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2005 After he finished his studies, he worked for a private consulting firm examining water quality problems and the protection ground and surface water resources, and participated in several International projects where he was responsible for sampling and interpretation of water quality data and identification of potential pollution problems. He also coordinated and supervised drilling and ground-water and soil sampling programs. Marinko moved to the USA in 2001, and completed his M.S. degree. His master thesis is titled “Mathematical modeling of a hydrocarbon spill on the ice cover of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica”. In 2005, he used MatLab and well known numerical methods to develop a numerical model of the transport of contaminants on the ice cover of perennially covered lake Fryxell, Antarctica. He is currently employed by an environmental consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area.
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Elsa Saelens - Undergraduate student email: saelens.7@buckeyemail.osu.edu
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Shelby Brewster - Undergraduate student email: brewster.64@buckeyemail.osu.edu
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Jordan Scheuermann - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University - current
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Scott Aleshire - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University - current
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Kelsey Bisson - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2013 I am an undergrad and have been with the Lyons group since March of 2011 researching the temporal variability of inorganic carbon in streams at the LTER - MCM site. My research interests include environmental geochemistry, marine chemistry, and geological oceanography. I plan to graduate in May 2013
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Kathleen Woods - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2012 I am a undergraduate in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. I will graduate in June 2012 with a major in environmental science. With the Lyons' Group, I am analyzing soil samples from the Transantarctic Mountains for biogenic silica and phosphate. Upon graduation I plan to spend the 2012-2013 field season working under Dr. Hugh Ducklow at Palmer Station, Antarctica.
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Taewook Kim - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2012 I am an international student from S. Korea and an undergraduate, majoring Environmental Science, specialized in Water. Currently, I'm working on Coshocton soil samples to look different C:N:P ratio from several areas: forest area and agricultural areas, where practices tillage or no-tillage. Upon graduation, I will be continuing my study in water at the Ohio State graduate school.
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Alex Rytel - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2012 MY primary focus is the effect of climate on biological activity in Taylor valley, Antarctica. My work is currently centered on the effects of stream inflow to Lake Fryxell and the effect stream inflow has on biological production in the lake. It is suspected that the input of thermal energy and dissolved material in the stream both help to increase biological production by reducing ice thickness and providing nutrients to the microorganisms in the lake.
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John Volk - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University I am currently working on the spatial and temporal variations of water quality in the Hellbranch Run, a tributary of the Darby Creek, located west of Columbus OH.
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Claire Westervelt - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University I am currently working on the geochemical and isotopic composition of groundwater and surface water on the OSU campus, Columbus OH.
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Gregg McElwee - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2008 I began working at the Byrd Polar Research Center in late November 2005. I am researching weathering rates in the Chagres watershed in Panama; because chemical weathering of silicate minerals consumes CO2, this is a major control of long term climate variation. I am analyzing water and sediment samples collected in Panama from early 2005 until the present. The water samples are analyzed using ion chromatographic (IC) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopic (ICP-OES) methods. The sediment samples are analyzed using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometric methods.
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Lindsey Hannah - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University I am currently working through the last year of my undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences. I am involved conducting research into the chemical weathering rates of tropical soils from the Rio Chagres watershed in Panama. I have been creating weathering profiles by analyzing the bulk chemistry of the soils by use of X-Ray Fluorescence, and inorganic carbon and nitrogen analysis.
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Carla Whisner - Undergraduate Student B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University My research interests are in geochemistry and hydrogeology. In the summer of 2008, I completed a project hosted by the Shell Undergraduate Research Experience. I did a geostatistical analysis of the streams in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. My primary goal was to determine the main factors that controlled the stream chemistry and reveal spatial trends to demonstrate the impact of landscape position and age on stream chemistry. For my upcoming research, I'll be working with Dr. Sarah Fortner. One of our study sites is in Coshocton, Ohio where we will be looking at agriculture landuse and its affect on the carbon cycle. I will be measuring dissolved inorganic carbon to analyze chemical weathering quantities and ultimately, to understand carbon sequestration and loss rates.
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Catherine Maxwell - Undergraduate Student B.A. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University Catherine Maxwell, from Archbold, Ohio, is an undergraduate student research assistant for Dr. Lyons. Her work with this team includes field work, laboratory work, and performing water chemistry analysis using the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emissions Spectrometer. Her individual work focuses on stream chemistry of the Big Darby and Little Darby Creeks. She is working towards a bachelor of the arts in geology from the School of Earth Sciences.
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April Jacobs - Undergraduate Student B.A. Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2006 April's main responsibility here at BPRC was to the MCM-SLTER, the educational outreach component to the MCM-LTER. She worked as a liason between the scientists here and the enthusiastic science teachers of Columbus with Dr. Landis. Among other things, she helped develop an educational DVD of Dr. Landis' Antarctic trip. It is this experience, along with a degree in geology and analytical lab work, that she hopes to utilize as she begins her career. She received a BA in Geological Sciences at The Ohio State University in June, 2006. She is currently employed by an environmental consulting firm in the Columbus area.
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Liz Miller - Undergraduate Student B.S. Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2006 Liz spent 3 years worknig and conducting research at the Byrd Polar Research Center. Her primary responsibility was performing chemical analysis of water and sediment samples. She worked with samples generated by the MCM-LTER project analyzing stream samples for alkalinity by strong acid titration, measuring dissolved reactive Si in aqueous samples collected from the glaciers, streams and lakes in the dry valley using a colorimetric method, and analyzing phosphorus in solution, as well as in sediments and on filters using a colorimetric methods. When she is not working or in class, she enjoys running and cheering on OSU at football games. In June 2006, she began a Ph.D. in geological sciences at Johns Hopkins University. |
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Kathy Welch - Senior Research Associate email: welch.189@osu.edu M. S. Earth Sciences, Geochemical Systems, University of New Hampshire, 1993 As a Senior Research Associate at OSU my primary focus is on the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM-LTER) project. My current research interests include investigating the response of the aquatic ecosystem in the dry valleys to variations in climate over decadal time scales. I’m also interested in investigating the hydrological and geochemical linkages between the glaciers, streams and lakes in the dry valleys and the consequent biogeochemical evolution of the closed-basin lakes over annual to millennial time scales. My expertise is in performing water chemistry analyses, in particular, major ion chemistry by ion chromatography.
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Kelsey Dailey - Reseach Assistant B.S. School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2013 As a Research Assistant I work on projects associated with the MCM-LTER project, such as analyzing Antarctic stream samples for Fe and P-PO4 using spectrophotometry. As a technician, I also manage the operation and data analysis of our water isotopic analyzer. My research background is mainly in aqueous geochemistry, where I have previously examined the impact of de-icing salts on water quality of Ohio rivers and the influence of increasing salinization over time. My research interests include the hydrogeochemistry of urbanized areas, isotope geochemistry, surface-rock-groundwater interactions, and climate change impacts on water resource quality and quantity.
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Sarah Fortner - Carbon, Water, Climate, Postdoctoral Research Ph.D. Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2008 My primary research goal is to understand changing river fluxes of water, solute, and sediment, as rapid changes in these may be detrimental to ecosystems and human health. This fall, I will begin investigating the storage and transport of carbon associated with different agricultural land use types. Understanding the fate of carbon associated with landuse is critically important to predicting the impact of agricultural practices on climate change. My dissertation and masters research explores the deposition and dynamics of dissolved and environmentally available elements in glacial snow and melt in Taylor Valley, Antarctica and the Oregon Cascades. The Antarctic research is part of a continuing effort to assess the geochemical continuum of the dry valleys conducted by the McMurdo LTER. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in a guest speaker at your K-12 school or College/University. I am currently working with undergraduates in the field, lab, and with other research efforts. In July 2006 I assisted Dr. Erin Pettit with Girls on Ice, a leadership/glacier research program for 15-19 girls. Previously, I have participated in the Juneau Icefield Research Program (2000, 1995 as a student and as a mentor). |
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Joel Barker - Research Scientist and Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Earth Sciences 139A Scott Hall Ph.D. University of Alberta, 2007 My research focuses on understanding carbon biogeochemistry in polar and alpine environments. My current research program seeks to determine if ancient organic matter located beneath glaciers and in permafrost is used by microbial communities, and if so, what are the consequences of this use to local and regional carbon and nutrient cycles. I approach this goal by examining the abundance of this organic mater and determining it’s suitability as a microbial substrate. The Polar Biogeochemistry Lab here at BPRC is currently being developed to enable the analysis of samples that are collected during field research. I also monitor the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from tundra to determine if organic matter that is released during active layer development (permafrost melt) is releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Please visit my web site to read more about my research. |
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Tim Fitzgibbon - Research Associate email: fitzgibbon.12@osu.edu B.A. Geological Sciences, Indiana University, 2004 My primary focus with the Lyons research group is mercury geochemistry, managing the mercury lab and assisting graduate students in related studies. We are conducting a limited study of mercury in northern Ohio rivers and the influence of land-use, and we have an upcoming Sea Grant project studying mercury in the water column and plankton within the western basin and the “dead zone” in the central basin of Lake Erie. I also work on the Cape Hallett Soil Biodiversity project from helping coordinate project field needs to collecting shallow firn cores on the Towles Glacier near Cape Hallett for stable isotope and major ion analysis. With the MCM-LTER, I assist in everything from collecting samples in the Taylor Valley to filing annual reports. |
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Adam Lewis - Post Doctoral Fellow Ph.D. , Boston University, 2004 I will finish and defend my PhD dissertation in the fall from Boston University and begin my Byrd Fellowship as a post-doctoral fellow with the Lyon's group in the winter of 2004. My primary research goal is to obtain high-resolution paleoclimate records that address fundamental questions of late Cenozoic global-climate evolution. My research in Antarctica combines field mapping in the Dry Valleys with laboratory analyses of glacial sediments, isotopic and trace-element geochemical analysis of tephras, and cosmogenic-nuclide dating of relict land surfaces. I'm interested in questions of how and when the polar climate of Antarctica first developed. I've focused on quantifying the geomorphic processes that have shaped the Dry Valleys and on developing chronologies for the Dry Valleys glacial record. Adam took a position at the University of North Dakota in March, 2007. |